A few days ago, I had the opportunity to meet and attend a lecture being given by Jonathan Mooney, author of a recently published book called “The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal.” In his book, Jon uses the setting of an epic road trip to recount his childhood of growing up with severe dyslexia/ADHD. He purchases a short bus (yes, the big yellow kind that they use to take the “special” kids to school) and drives it across the U.S., along the way meeting and interviewing youth who, due to learning disability, have been misunderstood as being abnormal, stupid, lazy, etc. By the end of the book, the reader is unequivocally convinced that our concept of normal is a myth, and that treasured beauty and creativity can be uncovered when we embrace all children’s unique abilities. Clearly, while listening to his talk, my mind was literally exploding with the connections that can be made to youth with a physical disability, whom are also far too often written off as being broken or in need of fixing.

I’d like to re-cap a few of Jon’s main themes as I feel they are applicable to all youth who may be, for whatever reason, labeled as abnormal.

1) Saying that we have to overcome disability implies that there is something inherently wrong with us that requires fixing. This is a dangerous assumption. At some point, we have to stop fixing and learn, rather, to accommodate. In Jon’s example, he noted that he currently reads at the 12th percentile. Despite this he has a degree in English Literature from Brown and has published two books. While in undergrad he accepted that perhaps he should stop trying to fix his reading and instead start using books on tape to learn and perform more efficiently in his classes. If we are different – at what point do we stop trying to fix ourselves and instead, just do something else?

2) When we think about youth with a disability, we often see a counterproductive pattern of learned helplessness emerge. In short, people will live up to low expectations. If a child is constantly barraged with feelings of being inadequate, different, or in need of exceptions, the child will grow up feeling that this pre-established low bar is all he/she can achieve. Conversely, if we set that bar high and provide youth with the accommodations needed to find creative ways to learn, be active, and set goals, amazing things will happen. If we encourage self-advocacy while also lowering environmental barriers, then we create an environment for empowerment.

3) Normal is a myth. It is merely a set of standards and patterns that, due to historical circumstances, we have developed as being what we consider to be the best way of doing things. A child with ADHD may have a very difficult time sitting still in class. This does not mean he/she isn’t listening and learning. It simply means that the norm of having to sit completely still in class is difficult for this child. He’s not trying to misbehave, be lazy, or be a trouble-maker, he simply learns better while moving. This is just one simple example of the danger of labeling people either normal or abnormal.

In short – read the book! Give it to your friends! Please, let's embrace one another’s unique gifts and strengths.